Ok, short and sweet: how would you go about building a 7x57 Mauser? What action would you use? What barrel? Trigger group? What gunsmith for the work?

How would you do it?

What if you had a $2k budget? What would you do?

I finished my 7x57 this spring. I used a M98 action, an 24" Heym semi weight barrel and the Hogue stock. Here same pic´s. I mounted a used Schmidt&Bender 3-12x48 scope with EAW pivot mounts.




Martin

Ive got a century Santa Barbara but if I were to build one I'd start with a 1950 or so Husky FN 98 action add a heym barrel and a timney featherweight plus the stock of your choice (wood or synthetic) some recknagel irons and I think I'd be pretty happy.

quote:

Originally posted by rnovi:
Ok, short and sweet: how would you go about building a 7x57 Mauser? What action would you use? What barrel? Trigger group? What gunsmith for the work?

How would you do it?

What if you had a $2k budget? What would you do?

I'd use a '98 Mauser M-24/47 action.....a #1 contour Douglas barrel (1-9") 22" long max, a Timney trigger, Dakota 3-pos safety, a Dakota bolt handle and if possible a H S Precision synthetic stock.

Top it off with a 2-7 Leupold ultralite and go hunting

I'd build it myself as when it was done I'd have the $2,000 (or close to it) in it just doing it all myself!

I'd find a good BRNO 21H already in 7X57, put a La Pour 3-position safety on it, scope the rifle using Talley rings and then go hunting.

We are having Hill Country Rifle built Glendas 7x57 using a Remington 700 CDL in 30-06 as the beginning. Do not remember which barrel maker we are using.

A Brno ZG47 in 7x57, just bought one made in 1956

You contact Clayton Nelson and tell him you want a custom 7x57. He asks is a 1909 action ok as they have some nice ones at the TSJC bookstore. You say ok. You then tell him you want to shoot 175gr Nosler Partitions and send him some loads to test with. You tell him the stock is to be his DARKEST piece of walnut (any kind)as you don't like light colored wood. You tell him it should have Iron sights plus scope mount as a rifle does not look right without Irons. It must have a Neidner steel buttplate and the bolt handle had to be straight in the Mauser commercial pattern. Choice of exact piece of wood, style,sights,barrel you leave at his discreation. This is what you get. It shoots 3 shot 1/2"groups with 175gr Nosler Partitions and is deadly on Kudu out to 275 yds (longest shot I took) and all the other plains game I shot on that trip.

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
You contact Clayton Nelson and tell him you want a custom 7x57. He asks is a 1909 action ok as they have some nice ones at the TSJC bookstore. You say ok. You then tell him you want to shoot 175gr Nosler Partitions and send him some loads to test with. You tell him the stock is to be his DARKEST piece of walnut (any kind)as you don't like light colored wood. You tell him it should have Iron sights plus scope mount as a rifle does not look right without Irons. It must have a Neidner steel buttplate and the bolt handle had to be straight in the Mauser commercial pattern. Choice of exact piece of wood, style,sights,barrel you leave at his discreation. This is what you get. It shoots 3 shot 1/2"groups with 175gr Nosler Partitions and is deadly on Kudu out to 275 yds (longest shot I took) and all the other plains game I shot on that trip.

Zim, that is one stunning rifle!

Guys, keep it up. You are all giving me some really good ideas!

quote:

Originally posted by zimbabwe:
You contact Clayton Nelson and tell him you want a custom 7x57. He asks is a 1909 action ok as they have some nice ones at the TSJC bookstore. You say ok. You then tell him you want to shoot 175gr Nosler Partitions and send him some loads to test with. You tell him the stock is to be his DARKEST piece of walnut (any kind)as you don't like light colored wood. You tell him it should have Iron sights plus scope mount as a rifle does not look right without Irons. It must have a Neidner steel buttplate and the bolt handle had to be straight in the Mauser commercial pattern. Choice of exact piece of wood, style,sights,barrel you leave at his discreation. This is what you get. It shoots 3 shot 1/2"groups with 175gr Nosler Partitions and is deadly on Kudu out to 275 yds (longest shot I took) and all the other plains game I shot on that trip.

That is a beaut my man. Very nicely done.

* I started with a 1909 Peruvian action
* Had an A&B 22" barrel installed, the bolt bent, scope mounts(steel Weavers)installed
* Then had a stock blank I had in my garage for 7 years, shaped & inletted.
* I added forend tip and gripcap, shaped and finished the stock myself.
* Glass bedded the stock
* Installed Warne QR rings.
* Picked up and mounted a 3-9 Burris scope (complete with a free 8x binocular to keep in the truck).

I have $875+ in it now and still have to add open sights and the barreled action is still "in the white". I know I will be at $1200 plus when I'm done and I did the stock work myself

But damn it's fun!!!

quote:

Originally posted by rnovi:
Ok, short and sweet: how would you go about building a 7x57 Mauser? What action would you use? What barrel? Trigger group? What gunsmith for the work?

How would you do it?

What if you had a $2k budget? What would you do?

Probably no one will like my answer, but so what's new?

I already have plenty of vault Queens. If I was going to build another 7x57, I'd make me a real "truck/knock about" woods gun, just for the "halibut".

I'd find an ex-military 7x57 M-98 with an excellent bore that has been bubba-sporterized, buy it for a reasonable price, then sit down with a sheet of paper and make a list of exactly what all I'd like to change or neaten-up on it.

That would likely include a passel of stock modifications (or replacement) work, and maybe a moderate amount of metal work. The gunsmith would be "none". I'd do it myself, and while at it, make a couple of additional switch-barrels for it too. Probably one in 9x57, and maybe another in something akin to the .220 Swift. I'd keep the original 7x57 barrel. Many of them are amazingly accurate.

When done with the rifle itself, then I'd fire up my ~70-year old Singer sewing machine and make a canvas bag for it, with five full length pockets. One for the stock & action section, one for each of the three barrels, and one for an emergency-in-the-field cleaning rod.

I used to carry such a "bagged" rifle (though it wasn't a Mauser) behind the seat of my hunting rig in northern Alberta all the time. Was handy-dandy, practical, and lots more fun than all my current safe-queens rolled up together.

Anyway, that might take up perhaps 1/4 of my $2000 budget. With the rest I'd fill as much of my gas tank as I could, and go bush-wandering

Nothing wrong with that idea

quote:

Originally posted by trouthunterdj:
Nothing wrong with that idea

damn right....full agreement here.

One of my favorite rifles is a Rem 700 in .308....it has a 20" barrel and an extended synthetic stock....it was originally purchased as a youth model and I merely extended the stock to fit me. It's a beadblasted matte finish and isn't pretty at all.....except for one thing.....it sends 180 grain accubonds into 2.5" groups at 200 yards and they leave the muzzle at an unbelievable 2,740'/sec.

This is my scabbard gun.....throw it in the scabbard on the horse and head for the hills.... It also gets used as a truck gun and a visitors gun.....I loan it to folks needing one!

I have a whole $350 in this thing.....but it's as reliable and functional as any rifle in my house.....

Everyone should be so lucky to find one like this!

AC decides to build one and I'm applauding.....but he'll have more than $350 in it!

quote:

Originally posted by vapodog:

AC decides to build one and I'm applauding.....but he'll have more than $350 in it!

Thanks you guys. Appreciate the kind words.

I MIGHT end up with more than $350 in it, but that depends on how a guy calculates it. Around here a guy can still sometimes pick up old bubba-ized Mausers like that for $250 or less, occasionally substantially less. Many of the younger generation have no idea what they even are, so the market for them isn't large.

Then, I have probably 20 different stocks and stock blanks on hand that could be modified, or carved to fit. Same with buttpads, sling swivels, just about anything else needed for a stock.

Also have about a dozen extra scopes that aren't on any rifles right now and a whole shelf of scope mounts, both new and used. Have a new, still in the box, Leupold 2x7 which would be just about right IF I decided to go with something other than iron sights. Would probably just put on one of my old (salvaged from guns in years gone by) Redfield or Lyman receiver sights and make a new blade for the front. That's why God, clever old broad that she is, invented files (aka hand mills).

Have at least 20 barrel blanks and barrels either waiting to be fitted and chambered to something or other that seems worth the effort, or which could be re-chambered and re-fitted to suit the proposed 7x57 bush gun. I admit I would have to do some trading to get a .35 blank for the 9x57, but have several new and unchambered Mike Rock .30 barrels around, plus several new and unfitted Musgrave and
Sportco barrels too...could probably swap one of those somewhere.

Finally, there's the whole question of how much money which would otherwise be spent on frivolous BS like going to see the Jail-Blazers play, etc. WOULDN'T be spent if I was busy working on the new-to-me rifle.

Heck, over a couple of months of time-to-time putzing to put together this new toy, I might even save more in gasoline, popcorn, parking, and admission fees than I would have in it!! (Would that make it a "free" rifle?)

zimbabwe, I've seen some beautiful rifles in front of those horns!

You can't beat Forrest's idea for a beautiful and easy custom 7X57. The 21H's were built like custom rifles anyway. I'm in the middle of doing one just like he describes. New bolt handle, 3-position safety and rust blueing. Forrest would probably take the double trigger off though and that's where he'd be wrong


Terry

I went through the same dilema then landed a BRNO 22H. I shot it a bit and did not like it as it was heavier than I wanted so traded it off. I then landed this Walther Model B and it is the cats meow, light but well balanced and accurate. I'd use a M-98 and barrel contoured like the Walther's.

quote:

Originally posted by rnovi:
Ok, short and sweet: how would you go about building a 7x57 Mauser? What action would you use? What barrel? Trigger group? What gunsmith for the work?

How would you do it?

What if you had a $2k budget? What would you do?

I'd just box up that Rem Custom Shop Full Stock rifle you got he likes so much and ship it up to him and he would box up one of his Ruger 'Custom Shop' 7 x 57 sporters, and ship it down to you...

then we could do the 'Dances with Wolves' things and say " Good Trade"...

I didn't want to spend a lot of time waiting for a full up custom 7x57, so I bought a new Rem 700 CDL and had a local gunsmith install a Shilen CM 7mm barrel chambered in 7x57, 23" long in the same contour as the Rem barrel. Looks good, shoots good. Took about a month total.
I've had the rifle about 2 months now. Ready for November Deer season.
Don

Boxhead, what is a 22H? BRNO made a 21H and a 22F but no 22H. Also, there is no way that rifle you pictured weighs significantly less.

Terry

Buy one in CZ550 full stock. Refinish the stock. Replace the shroud with a three position M70 type safety. ENJOY!

My first choice would also be a Brno 21 or 22, followed by a custom Mauser, either of which suit me fine..

The Brno has a long magazine box and a long throat, combine this with H414 powder and work up your own Max load, not the book load and they are mostly for short throats and old guns..

Your rifle, either a Brno or Mauser, set up this way will outperform 7 mag factory loads..you can do the same with a custom 98 mauser by using an 06 box and a long throat so you can seat the 175 gr. bullets to .284 or one caliber..

I too have endeavored to build a 7x57 repeater. I've been wondering how hard it would be to convert a Ruger Hawkeye to this grand old round?

And yes, I know that I can get a 7-08 in a Hawkeye, but I want a 7x57.

quote:

Originally posted by citori:
Buy one in CZ550 full stock. Refinish the stock. Replace the shroud with a three position M70 type safety. ENJOY!

Good idea.